Chapter 326
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Following my success at the Global Technology Forum, the Al cliff and frequency–based therapy device I had developed had caught the Interest of several countries. That meant I would need scale up the production of these inventions because the prototypes we had put together in our lab weren’t enough.
In other words , we needed to look into inass manufacturing them in order to cater to demand.
Naturally , when such an obvious profit–making venture hit the radar , inany came knocking on my door after the summit.
From there, I had entered into a partnership with a quality manufacturer. However, after only three production batches , they already wanted to hike up their prices and asked for a bigger cut of the profits.
This wasn’t the kind of company I could build a long–term partnership with, so I was about to start scouting for potential new partners. But I didn’t expect William to already know about it.
Hence, I looked at him in astonishment.
William smirked and raised his wine glass toward me. “Staying ahead of the news is key when doing business. So, what do you think about partnering with me?”
I was even more surprised by his offer.
We knew each other for some time now. Yet , I never knew he was interested in venturing into this field. Otherwise, we would have started working together much earlier if he had brought this up long ago.
As if reading my mind, he added, “I didn’t have the right facilities back then, and coincidentally , I’ve just acquired a few manufacturing companies. Their quality is assured, so you don’t need to worry about that . ”
I had known William for almost two years now, and I trusted both his character and competence. Hence , I didn’t hesitate to accept his offer.
Raising my glass toward him, I said, “Looking forward to working together.”
William finished his wine in one gulp.
He was usually reserved and had an indiscernible air about him, but he seemed even more so today. He didn’t say anything else after setting his glass down. The silence between us grew so heavy that it felt suffocating.
I considered going on my phone to escape the awkwardness, but that felt too rude. Then, I noticed the gold and onyx textured bangle around his wrist.
“Are you a Jäegerian, Mr. Ashford?” I asked.
Grandma was one, so I often accompanied her as she read scriptures and listened to religious teachings. I didn’t consider myself
a Jäegarian , but I was familiar enough with the religion. So, I thought this could be a conversation topic.
But to my surprise, William flatly replied, “No, this is just for show to help me close business deals.”
I was speechless. Well, this topic was a dead end.
I didn’t know what else to say, so I pulled out the research documents I had brought with me and started going through them. Initially, I was just trying to avoid the awkward atmosphere between us. However, I gradually became engrossed in my reading as I flipped through the papers, to the point where I completely forgot William was sitting beside me.
And because of this, I also didn’t notice that he had gone from staring out the window to studying me.
To be honest, William had seen countless beautiful women. Compared to them, I wasn’t especially attractive appearance–wise. And yet, there was something about me that kept drawing his attention.
To him, I seemed to radiate an alluring warmth. So, despite believing I wasn’t the one who had saved him, William kept feeling the same familiar warmth radiating from me.
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And for someone like him, who had lived his life in the shadows, had an involuntary urge to be closer to me . William didn’t know when his feelings toward me had begun to shirt. He had only shown an interest in me because Noah liked me , after all.
He continued staring at me until a flight attendant came by to remind us that the plane was about to land. Only then did he finally look away.
After we exited the airport, William offered to take me to dinner to discuss the details of our partnership.
I didn’t know why he hadn’t brought it up during the flight. But since I didn’t have any pressing matters pending my attention , I agreed.
We waited together by the curb for his driver to bring the car around. William was on a call and was looking at information on his tablet when I noticed a woman pushing a stroller in our direction.
The woman had caught my attention because she was so strikingly tall. Because of this, I noticed her reach into her coat and pull out a knife. Then , my eyes widened in shock when she lunged straight toward William.